Jack Della Maddalena expected a tough test when preparing to face Belal Muhammad at UFC 315, and that`s precisely what the fight delivered. The intense, back-and-forth contest ultimately earned “Fight of the Night” honors.
Muhammad had promised ahead of time to demonstrate his striking skills and mostly avoid attempting takedowns. While this approach may have ultimately cost Muhammad the title, Della Maddalena wasn`t entirely caught off guard by it.
“Not really [surprised by his game plan],” Della Maddalena stated during the UFC 315 post-fight press conference. “He was saying he wasn’t going to do takedowns but I was expecting I guess an all-around offense. You’ve just got to roll with it. I feel that’s what I did.”
Although he did concede a couple of takedowns over the five rounds, Della Maddalena managed to avoid significant damage on the ground and consistently scrambled back to his feet.
Interestingly, Della Maddalena`s own strategy involved maintaining control of the octagon`s center and preventing Muhammad from pressing him against the cage. Despite being pushed to the fence multiple times, Della Maddalena found opportunities to land some of his most effective strikes whenever Muhammad closed the distance and engaged him in close quarters.
“The game plan was to stay off the fence,” Della Maddalena explained. “Like, he does his best work on the fence. So I was trying to stay off the fence but he was just walking down, pushing me up against the fence. I felt like every time he came in, I was able to hit him and then get off the fence.”
He added, “I was expecting a tough fight. Obviously, he’s a good fighter, a pressure fighter, good wrestling, he’s pretty well-rounded. I was expecting a tough fight.”
By the fifth and final round, with the scorecards potentially ambiguous, Della Maddalena was determined to secure a finish rather than leave the outcome in the hands of the judges.
He came remarkably close to achieving this goal, landing a sharp combination that clearly wobbled the now-former champion. To his credit, Muhammad displayed extraordinary durability, enduring Della Maddalena`s persistent efforts to end the fight.
“I was hoping to get him out of there,” Della Maddalena shared. “I’ve been thinking all week it would be cool to get that late fight finish like with Gilbert Burns. It felt good to rally through and then take him out at the end. But I tried.”
After the bout concluded, Della Maddalena was unsure of the decision, but his coaches were confident he had done enough to secure the win. They were correct, as the judges awarded him the victory via scores of 49-46, 48-47, and 48-47, crowning Della Maddalena the new UFC champion.
“You never know but I was confident I had done pretty good work,” Della Maddalena reflected. “But I guess you never know when you leave it to the judges. When I finished the fight, I asked the corner a few times and they said, ‘Yep, you definitely won that.’”
Marcus Blakely